Overview

• On July 31, Mumbai’s NIA special court acquitted all seven individuals charged in the 2008 Malegaon explosions, citing insufficient evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt
• The court directed the Maharashtra government to pay Rs 2 lakh to each family of the six killed and Rs 50,000 to each of the 101 injured survivors
• BJP leaders hailed the verdict as a rebuke of the term “saffron terror,” arguing it vindicates those who questioned its political use
• Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand declared “a terrorist is a terrorist,” rejecting any color-coded definition and urging zero tolerance for all acts of terror
• The nearly two-decade probe involved testimony from 323 prosecution witnesses and eight defence witnesses under the National Investigation Agency